The Portuguese 20-euro ticket is damaging CP’s operations

The Portuguese 20-euro train ticket (Passe Ferroviário Verde) is causing trouble for operator CP and passengers. Demand spiked more than 50% in the Intercity services, but passengers can’t book a spot on the most demanded routes, and the company is unable to improve the service by adding more seats. 

With the 20-euro ticket, passengers can travel twice a day in every Intercity train, including between Lisboa and Porto (back and forth), the route with the most demand in the country. Considering that this service is a reservation-only train, users must wait until 24 hours before the beginning of the journey to book the remaining available seats. However, if a passenger is embarking at a later stop – say Santarém – bookings only open until 24 hours prior to the departure from that station, 50 minutes after the beginning of the journey, in Santa Apolónia.

This means that passengers travelling between Lisboa and Porto can fill the seats in that period, leaving people from Santarém and beyond without a train. Alternatively, passengers from Santarém and other stations are booking their places between Lisboa and Porto but those are not occupied for part of the journey. Those are what’s being dubbed “ghost passengers” in Portugal and jeopardise the seat occupation maximisation, one of the goals of the initiative. Boarding and disembarking of passengers also takes longer, in particular close to the destination.

For example, on a train from Porto to Lisboa, Entroncamento used to be an exit-only stop, because this station benefits from regional services. However, with the 20-euro ticket and considering the time of travel is below one hour (in the Intercity), from 90 minutes (in the regional train), passengers are boarding at this station, which forces the train to have a longer stop – with consequences for punctuality.

Minor improvements incoming

The Portuguese Government admits there is room for improvement: “For 2026, adjustments are being prepared to improve Passe Ferroviário Verde and its user experience, controlling the reservations more effectively, its usage and the booking system”, answered the Ministry of Infrastructure and Housing to a group of Parliament members from the far-right party Chega.

In August 2024, the Ministry proposed a 1-euro tax for each seat reservation, according to a formal request to evaluate this initiative submitted to the Mobility and Transport Authority (AMT), read by RailTech. Two months later, however, the 20-euro ticket was available without additional payments required for booking.

From 49 to 20 euros

Passe Ferroviário Verde was introduced in October 2024, replacing the 49-euro ticket initiative from August 2023, which only included regional links. At the time, Portugal followed Germany’s project, Deutschlandticket, which attracted many passengers and exposed the fragilities of the infrastructure network and DB’s operations.

In 2026, the same is occurring in Portugal: the 20-euro ticket was introduced without improving CP’s rolling stock, particularly the diesel fleet, which has been suffering from ageing issues for many years, causing many cancellations on regional tracks such as Oeste, Alentejo, Vouga (narrow gauge) and Algarve. Despite the unlimited use allowance, many passengers can’t enjoy these routes, and those who have financial resources will find alternatives with worse environmental impacts.

Lack of rolling stock

Passe Ferroviário Verde also exposed the necessity of CP being given a more autonomous business structure from the Portuguese state, which could potentially allow for more competitive salaries compared with private railway operators, additional hiring for train maintenance and more agile procedures to acquire parts and components. Under the current scenario, one out of five Intercity wagons is out of service, according to newspaper Público.

This lack of carriages also compromises the possibility of longer trains and creates a chaotic situation in stations only served by Intercity services, whose passengers used to pay hundreds of euros monthly for a subscription and now only pay 20 euros.

For example, Vendas Novas, a city located 80 km away from Lisboa, is attracting many new residents because of the housing crisis in Portugal’s capital city. Reaching Lisboa by train (in less than an hour) is faster than by car, particularly in rush hours, despite only having five connections per day. Now, passengers complain about the reservation issue, because the trains serving this city depart from Evora, which benefits its citizens. Alternatively, passengers from Vendas Novas are booking their seats from Beja and testing their luck, as shown by a report from the RTP broadcaster.

Passengers taking the Evora-Lisboa route also claim at least one more 2nd-class wagon but CP argues there is no spare rolling stock available. The availability rate is so low that sometimes this Intercity train is replaced by a regional train, which has a 120 km/h speed limit compared to the 200 km/h of the Intercity material. Considering most of the Evora-Lisboa rail track is suitable for 200 km/h, this means a delay of at least 15 minutes upon arrival.

To be or not be compensated?

For providing the 20-euro ticket, CP is allowed to receive up to €18.9 million in state subsidies every year. Regional and Intercity trains are part of the public services obligation contract with the Portuguese Government. Despite that, the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing, Miguel Pinto Luz, admitted that CP would not need that compensation. “If the trend remains, CP will not need the budget saved for the potential loss of revenue. CP will increase its revenues and will not need a single euro of that extraordinary investment”, said last April.

By maximising seat capacity, the Portuguese train operator becomes more productive for the same number of trips. And in the Intercity services, if someone really needs to travel on a particular day and the tourist class is full, then there are 1st class seats available, increasing CP’s revenues.

After 15 months, there is an average of “more than 50,000 users” of the 20-euro ticket, according to the Government. The demand for the regional trains more than doubled and increased 53% in the Intercity services. However, there are no details on whether these passengers were already travelling by train or if they came from  private cars, promoting modal change.

One year for (some) new trains

In the medium term, the Portuguese Government is also counting on the arrival of Stadler’s 22 new regional units. The first train arrived last December and is now under a year-long homologation and certification process supervised by the Portuguese Safety Authority (ANSF).

The new trains are primarily intended for regional services, notably on the Oeste and Alentejo lines. On both lines, the current diesel trains are facing reliability issues due to their age, with 60-year-old bodies that were modernised back in 1999. The new trains can also travel on the Douro line, which is not yet electrified between Marco de Canaveses and Pocinho, and on the Eastern line, between Abrantes and Elvas.

CP is also expecting, from 2029, the arrival of 117 new Alstom EMUs — the largest purchase in its history. This also includes 62 units for urban services and 55 for regional routes, a contract worth €746 million. The government has also approved the option for 36 additional EMUs, depending on CP’s activation.

Until the new rolling stock hits the tracks, the strategy to attract new passengers to the rail services seems compromised. Those who have no other alternative are forced to either travel in overcrowded trains, or reschedule their plans.

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